1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an article packaging system for packaging tubular articles, pouch-shaped articles, etc. individually with small boxes, and placing small boxes in various combinations in corrugated boxes under the control of a computer, and more particularly to an article packaging system for packaging cartridges with photographic films housed therein.
2. Detailed description of the Related Art
For shipping a large quantities of small articles, it has been the general practice to place one or more small articles in a small package such as a small box to produce a small outer shipping package, put several small outer shipping packages together into a stack, place several stacks into a large package such as a corrugated box, and ship the corrugated box.
Recently, there have been available various packaging schemes for combining articles of different types or sizes and placing them in a small package such as a small box.
Heretofore, the various packaging schemes have been realized by different methods. According to a first method, only those packaging lines that can easily be automatized are automatized, and remaining packaging lines are manually processed or equipped with semiautomatic processing machines. According to a second method, only those packaging processes which package a large quantity of produced articles in one packaging pattern are specially automatized.
With the first method, since some articles are packaged either manually or by semiautomatic processing machines, workers are required to be highly skilled to package articles in different patterns, and a long period of time is needed until packaged articles are shipped. Therefore, the first method is disadvantageous in that it results in an increased number of packaging steps and an increased packaging cost. With the second method, the number of packaging steps and the packaging cost may be reduced because certain packaging processes are fully automatized. However, since each of the fully automatized packaging processes can package articles in one packaging pattern only, the second method needs to be combined with the first method in order to package articles in different patterns. Consequently, a certain limitation is imposed on efforts to reduce the number of packaging steps and the packaging cost according to the second method.
The applicant has proposed a technology for automatizing a packaging process by combining small packages of different types boxed up by two boxing machines and placing the combination into a corrugated box. The applicant has also proposed a method of managing various mechanisms in an outer shipping package production process up to the shipment of packaged articles with a production information management computer through process controllers and facility computers.
According to the proposed technology, it is possible to fully automatize a packaging process for packaging articles in different patterns. However, the proposed technology does not lend itself to a complex packaging process for placing articles in various combinations in small packages to produce small outer shipping packages, stacking the small outer shipping packages in various combinations into stacks, placing several stacks into a large package to produce a large outer shipping package.